Still on My Oga at the top

This question may be asked: “Who are the people that do not prepare for an examination or interview before they have one? Well, the answer may not be far-fetched but it should not surprise many if somebody says “Nigerian students”.

Even our leaders – yes the same leaders who rant and rave about the high rate of failure in national examinations – are also guilty of this offence. How many of them prepare for the offices they occupy? Are we the followers supposed to fare any better?

I have tried so hard to forgive our President Goodluck Jonathan for embarrassing and depleting his own image and that of the Nigerian people while answering questions by Christine Amanpour in an interview on Cable News Network (CNN). Sure, we all remember Mr. President’s timidity and lack of composure, coupled with bullets from grammatical errors during the interview. The way the President wobbled before the world showed he didn’t prepare for the discussion.

A few months later, another government official and former Lagos State Commandant of the Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Mr. Obafaiye Shem, chose to introduce a comic chapter into what is now being referred to official negligence.

Does it look strange? To be explicit, if anybody has not heard about “My oga at the top” trend, then such a fellow must have just come from another planet. The NSCDC boss fluttered when he was asked to say the official website of the agency on Breakfast programme on Channels television. He said: “www.nscdc.that’s all”.

Probing further, the interviewers asked “dot what” but he replied: “I won’t want to tell you anything now and ‘my oga at the top’ would tell you another.” Oh my God, does this show a sign of education in the age of Information and Communication Technology (ICT)?

Now, this is coming at a time when the NSCDC is trying to convince the world that it is made up of professionals if the officers’ effort in checkmating pipeline vandalism in Arepo, Ogun State is anything to go by. Civil Defence Corps are beginning to prove to be good alternative and even more respected officers than the police. It is therefore appalling that someone, who himself is at the top, would now come to destroy the effort his officers had made to give the institution a good image.

My Oga at the top is now considered a metaphor for pit of rot and indiscipline in which our public system has sunk. No functioning institution. We have come to see leadership not as service to the people but as means of oppression. Leadership has become more of power tussles than selfless service. That explains why an oga at the top can change the official name of a website with a word of mouth; not through proper procedures nothing.

In Obafaiye’s defence, the NSCDC said he didn’t commit any crime but only lost composure, which is human. My reply to this is that, in saner countries, anyone who causes such embarrassment to his employer would not wait to be sanctioned but resign to protect his reputation and that of the organisation.

Finally, we Nigerians should get rid of our ogas at the top, who have contributed to the country underdevelopment. We can achieve this not by killing them but by doing what is right and is expected of us in the coming general elections. Like my analytical chemistry oga would say: “are we ready?”

Sarah, yes what you have said to an extent is correct and justified. but the issue at stake most especially the interview of Mr. President with Christiana Ampour, though i did watched it should not come into this campaign of yours on the issue of Oga at the Top. My dear what you should bear in mind is that there is what we called stage frieght on first encounter to some people. may be that was what may have happened on Mr President’s case.
Secondly, you would recalled that Mr. President was not fixed by any body, he won the election in 2011. You and i voted for him or you may have voted for another who was not lucky enough to be elected but for the fact that our combined votes gave him the lead that put him there, we should please respect the office he occupies. You may recall that during the America Presidential debate between President Barak Obama and his Republican contender, he lost willing fully in the first slot but that did stopped the Americans electing him for another term in office.
Thirdly, the issue of underdevelopment which you raised did not just commenced yesterday, you would remember that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo left a robost economy in 1979 but came back 20 years after to meet tarted and totally destroyed economy and even the man we both gave our mandate 1992 was grusomely killed, corruption which has become the order of the day was commercialised and today the some people are those behind the ungovernorbility of Nigeria (Boko Haram).
Lastly, i do not subscribed that when a child failed ones in an examination, means that child is not braillant. Some factors may have contributed or because the child could get excellent in all papers does make him or her a dollant, The man Mr President has really performed excellently well in some areas, please let us crisis him a little and praise him more so that he would do more for our great country.

Gabriel

Sarat i can see you are a student and i must therefore commend your effort in defence of students who fail to prepare for exams. But i hope you realise Mr Shem has gone several years ahead of you. You still have lots and lots of exams ahead of you. I hope you also won’t disappoint yourself when your own time comes. It’s always quite easy to cast a stone at others. You accuse your president of loosing his composure before the world. I hope you don’t ever loose yours in the many interviews you will face in your not-too-distant future. I hope you will be of good influence to your peers back at school and i hope you start by shuning every form of malpractice. And i hope you’ll be as strong and resilient as Shem to face life when your own turn to goof comes, cause you can be sure we all goof once a while. I therefore, counsel you to rather be quick to hear and learn and to be slow to talk and to criticize. Wishing you the best in your endearvours.

Jerry Amawhe

Sarah, yes what you have said to an extent is correct and justified, but the issue at stake most especially the interview of Mr. President with Christine Amanpour, though i did watched it should not come into this campaign of yours on the issue of “Oga at the Top”. My dear what you should bear in mind is that there is what we called stage fright on first encounter to some people, may be that was what may have happened on Mr President’s case. Mr. President is not God we should know that, he needs our corporate assistance, encouragement and good suggestions to enable him forged ahead.

Secondly, you would recalled that Mr. President was not fixed by any body, he won the election in 2011. You and i voted for him or you may have voted for some other person who was not lucky enough to be elected, but for the fact that our combined votes gave him the lead that put him there, we should please respect the office he occupies.

You may recall that during the America Presidential debate between President Barak Obama and his Republican contender, he lost willing fully in the first slot but that did stopped the Americans electing him for another term in office.

Thirdly, the issue of underdevelopment which you raised did not just commenced yesterday, you would remember that Chief Olusegun Obasanjo left a robust economy in 1979 but came back 20 years after to meet shattered and totally destroyed economy and even the man we both gave our mandate in 1993 was gruesomely murdered, corruption which has become the order of the day was commercialized and today the same people are those making the country ungovernable (Boko Haram).

Lastly, i do not subscribed that when a child failed ones in an examination, makes the that child dullard and not brilliant Some factors may have contributed or that because a child could not performed excellently in all his or her papers does make him or her a woeful failure.

The man, Mr President has really performed excellently well in some areas, please let us crisis him a little and praise him more so that he would do more for our great country.